Tales from the Ranch

By Tulsa Author\Driller

Book 2, Chapter 20

Thursday, April 4, 1991

The Williamsport Patriot's baseball team had a marathon practice that evening. They would be facing the Killeen Kangaroos in a home game the next evening; the first round of the tournament to determine the League title. The two teams had been rivals for years and had always been fairly evenly matched; in fact they were tied for the number of wins over the years. Coach Adams' team was pumped up and they were preparing to deliver the league trophy to him at the end of the tournament. Then they would win the regional contest and bring home that trophy, too. The state trophy was the most sought-after prize and it would look good in the front trophy case; a place that had last housed it fourteen years ago.

Forrest was torn between watching the team practice and going out to Saber Peak Ranch to feed the horses. He reluctantly went to the ranch, but it didn't take long to accomplish his chores and he was back at the practice field in a little over forty-five minutes. Practice lasted another hour and he was glad they would be able to go home instead of having to take care of the horses after practice.

Craig had prepared a chicken casserole which was ready to go into the oven. Dale wasn't home yet, but had called to say he was on his way and offered to take everyone out for dinner.

"I just finished putting a casserole together and we're going to have scalloped broccoli and a tossed salad to go with it," Craig told him, but hurriedly added, "it can go in the fridge and we can have it tomorrow night."

"I'm just around the corner, so let's talk about it when I get home. Are the boys there yet?" he asked.

"I just heard their car pull into the parking lot so I'll let Mitsy out to escort them up the stairs," he laughed.

"Toss her ball down so we can all play for a little while," Dale told him before they said good-bye and broke the phone connection.

Craig opened the door and Mitsy dashed out and down the stairs, having heard the throbbing exhaust. He walked to the area just past the stairwell, got Joey's attention and tossed her yellow tennis ball down. Craig saw the Bar-W vehicle turn the corner a block down the street, so he walked down the stairs. Soon there was a major league game of fetch going on in the front lawn. Everyone was having a good time and Mitsy was loving the attention. Craig was surprised at how high she could leap into the air to shag the ball.

After about fifteen minutes, everyone had to catch their breath. Mitsy had the ball and wouldn't deliver it to anyone. She was tired, too. Everyone was glad the evenings were becoming warmer and that they would have an extra hour of light in the evening with daylight savings time starting on the next Sunday.

The family climbed the stairs. After a hurried conference, they decided to eat at home. Joey said that he wanted to put on a pair of shorts and be more comfortable. Forrest followed him to their bedroom, hoping that Joey was still wearing his jock and cup. Dale declared that he wanted to change clothes and Craig followed him into their bedroom.

Everyone met back in the living room shortly. Dale fixed a scotch and soda for himself and Craig, along with a Ginger Ale for Joey and a Dr. Pepper for Forrest. Joey went to the kitchen to fix the salad and help Craig with the scalloped broccoli. Forrest and Dale sat at the kitchen counter so everyone could visit and talk about their day; the first to be mentioned was the baseball tournament.

"The Patriot's played really well at practice this evening," Forrest said.

"We did," Joey told the group, "but Coach Adams told us not to get overly confident, because that will lose the game for us faster than anything. And, we have the 'home team' advantage playing tomorrow night on our own turf. After tomorrow night, we'll know who we play next – if we win that game; otherwise we're out of the tournament.

"That's not going to happen," Dale said. "Just play together as a team and that will win the game for you."

Everyone agreed.

"I'll take care of feeding the horses' tomorrow evening and again on Saturday since you both have the camp out with the scout troop," Craig said.

"Thanks, Dad." It was almost like an echo as the boys responded.

Dale was next. "I've hired five more workers and one of them might be a good assistant for me. He's a business major at Western JuCo and will receive his 'associate degree' at their May graduation. He's gotten high scores in accounting and finance, so will graduate with Honors. He'll be able to work three days a week the rest of April and the first week of May, then his classes are over. He wants to attend the University of Texas on a part-time basis starting this fall to earn a full degree."

"Is he from around here?" Forrest asked.

"Actually, he grew up on a large farm close to San Marcos. He went to Western JuCo because they had a program better suited to his needs and he was able to get a full scholarship. He's applied for a scholarship at the University of Texas and thinks he has a good chance of getting it, depending on the number of hours he enrolls to take. Also, University of Texas holds some classes at Western JuCo, so he might not have to drive into Austin for every class." Dale was pleased with his probable new assistant as well as the other men he'd managed to hire.

"What's his name?" Craig wanted to know.

"Kylie Alan Carre," Dale said, but he prefers to be called Cary. His start date is next Monday morning, so he will be here all day on Monday and Wednesday and in the afternoons on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I think he will be a good person to have on staff. The first thing he asked was about computers and both hardware and software. I told him that I had two sons who were very knowledgeable about computers so he's anxious to talk to you guys," Dale proudly said.

"Cool" and "Neat" were heard from Joey and Forrest.

As Forrest gave a rundown of his day, Dale remembered that they hadn't talked to Leland yet about the best way to invest the gift Erik Sharpe had given them. He had intended to take care of that earlier in the week, but Joey and Forrest's trip to Arlington to help Frank and Doris was more important in his way of thinking.

"I can't believe the size of that train layout," Forrest continued. "I'll bet that grandpa hates to give it up. I sure would want to keep it."

Craig laughed. "Who said anything about giving it up? You can be assured that once we have the space finished to reassemble it, he'll probably move in with us until it's completed to his satisfaction."

Forrest and Joey both had funny looks on their faces. "You're kidding, right?" Joey asked.

"Nothing to kid about. The trains are just being transferred to a new location, namely our house, and not to a new owner. The big kid is moving them to our house because his new home doesn't have space for them," Craig laughed.

"I'm glad they're going to be here and that he's going to be setting them up, because I don't have a clue about any of it," Joey said. Forrest was shaking his head in agreement.

Craig told of meeting with two potential clients. Business was picking up for his company as great strides were being made in the building of the shopping center for Warren Collins, the restoration of the old Beauford home for Pawl and LouAnn Garnoski, a new crew quarters and office building for the Bar-W Ranch. Plus the plans for the new dental office just east of downtown were almost completed. It appeared that he and his business partner, Don, would be hiring another architect sooner than their business projection showed.

About that time the telephone rang. Craig answered the phone on the kitchen counter and immediately pushed the speakerphone button. It was Frank and Doris and they laughed about the fact they were having a cocktail party, hosted by Ma Bell.

Frank was clearly excited and plunged right into the reason they were calling. "Leland and I pulled a preliminary financial report for March and guys, it looks really good. Our actual store sales were down by about 30% from February, but we had anticipated that. Our mail order sales were three times that figure. Plus, Sabersonic ISP is growing faster than our most ambitious 'what-if' projection."

It seemed as if everyone was talking at once, slapping palms and giving hugs. Finally the elation settled somewhat. "So, what's the bottom line?" Craig asked.

"Store sales were $650,000, that's an average of $25,000 a day. Mail order was just over a million and our ISP generated revenues of $500 thousand, so that makes total revenue of $2,150,000. Our operating expenses were $1,827,500, giving us a net of $322,500. About 15% profit, but that's still well above our forecasts. We're still increasing inventory, but that is an effect on cash flow, only."

Dale and Craig were having a hard time digesting the figures. Dale had scribbled the numbers on a scratch pad, but at the moment they didn't make much sense to him. He was elated and couldn't concentrate on what he was seeing. The puzzlement showed on his face.

"Still wish we'd started out small?" Craig teased.

"I'm glad we took the risk, if that's what you mean," Dale said with a grin from ear to ear and he was flashing his 1,000 watt smile.

"Keep in mind these are preliminary figures, but they won't change much when it comes to sales and profit. There will be adjustments for late invoices for parts and inventory, plus accrued payroll, but that just changes the balance sheet for inventory on hand and accounting liabilities."

"What does all of this mean?" Forrest asked.

"Leland thinks we need to start looking around for a location where we can open a second store, but there isn't any big rush to do that. He said that we should think about a location in Austin or San Antonio, and I agree with him," Frank said.

About that time Joey noticed that the timer for the casserole had about 10 minutes to go, although it would need to set for a few minutes before serving. He got Craig's attention and pointed to the timer on the oven.

"We're about ready to sit down for dinner," Craig said.

"We don't want to take you away from that," Doris said. "Dad just wanted to call and share the great news about the store."

"News like that is always welcome here," Dale added. "Certainly it gives us something to talk about while we're eating."

They went through the "good-bye" routine and Craig pushed the button to disconnect the phone.

Forrest finished setting the table and after cooling somewhat, the casserole was ready to serve. Craig poured a full glass of wine for everyone. Dinner conversation centered on the great news about the store, but they had other things to talk about, too, from earlier conversations.

* * * * *

Joey had two Algebra problems to solve and needed to work on a book report that was due next week; but he wanted to hand it in early because of the upcoming baseball tournaments. Forrest was working on a paper for a chemistry class. Again, he would hand it in early for the same reason as Joey. They settled down, Forrest at the computer and Joey was sprawled on the bed. He had both problems solved within five minutes and started where he had left off with the book report for English Lit. His current reading assignment was "Silas Marner" by George Eliot.

Forrest was typing. They were both thinking that they could use a second computer and would have to remember to ask their Dads about getting another one after they moved and had room for it.

After about 45 minutes, Forrest sent his report to the printer. "Do you want to use the computer for your report?" Forrest asked his brother.

"Sure, I can add what I've written to the file I started the other day. Thanks, Bro," Joey said, giving Forrest a hug and a quick kiss on his cheek as they traded places. He took Forrest's paper out of the printer tray and handed it to him, then opened the file he had saved earlier. Forrest read his report and found several corrections that Spell Check didn't catch, so asked Joey for his input on how to word a sentence. He marked the corrections to make and reprint later. Joey made short work of the addition to his book report, which turned out to be four pages long. He printed it and Forrest quickly made his corrections and reprinted his own paper. They each needed to do more work on them, but it was mainly the rewording of sentences to make them easier to read.

After studying, both boys went to the kitchen for some ice cream. Forrest pointed over to Dale and Craig who were curled up together, asleep on the love seat.

"Hey, Dad's. Want some ice cream? I'm buying," Joey teased.

Dale and Craig became alert immediately. Neither knew when they had dozed off, but it probably wasn't too long after Forrest and Joey went to their room to do homework.

"Sure, what kinds do we have?" Dale asked.

"Vanilla, Rocky Road, Cookie Dough, Butter Finger and English Toffee." Joey knew they always had Vanilla and Rocky Road and there were usually two or three other flavors that varied according to what looked good to the person doing the grocery shopping. Forrest and Craig wanted Rocky Road, Dale wanted English Toffee and Joey put out the Butter Finger for himself, putting two scoops of the ordered flavor in a dish for each.

* * * * *

Joey and Forrest had been downstairs in the storage locker the night before to check their camping gear, making sure their air mattresses would hold air and that the inside of their sleeping bags were clean. They carted everything they needed upstairs and loaded it in the trunk of their car.

It was 9:45 in the evening and everyone was more than ready to go to bed. After telling Dale and Craig 'good night', Joey and Forrest brushed their teeth and stripped off their boxer shorts to go to bed.

Forrest snuggled up to Joey and ran his fingers up and down Joey's hairy chest and pubes. "Hey, before we go to sleep, we need to talk about sharing a tent with other guys. I'm talking about what guys do on campouts. I don't want to be 'too experienced'," he giggled.

"Barry is the Patrol Leader," Joey said. "Ronald Browning makes the fourth person for our tent. The guys in the second tent are Johnny Pederson, 'Moose' McKenna and Gillis Miller. Usually J.P. Scotten would be the fourth person, but he had to go out of town with his parents. I don't really know any of the other guys in this patrol except Barry."

"Same for me. I know who the others are to say hi to them in the hall, but we don't have any classes together," Forrest explained.

"Sounds okay to me," Forrest said. "I'm tired and ready to go to sleep," he added, giving Joey a squeeze that was returned.

Within five minutes both boys were sound asleep, curled up against each other.

* * * * *

School was dismissed at 3:15 p.m. and the first game of the league tourney was to start at 4:15. By 3:45 there were almost no seats left in the bleachers. The grounds beyond that area were covered with people who brought blankets and folding chairs. The cheerleaders had been augmented by those assigned to other teams, like football and basketball. They put on a good show, starting at 4 o'clock and running until just before game time. Everyone was in a jovial mood, and was enthusiastic. It seemed that half of the crowd had cow bells, horns or whistles for making noise.

Finally the two teams left their locker rooms, running out onto the field to be introduced and heading toward their dugouts. The Patriots' took their places on the field after they won the coin toss. The first player to bat was from Killeen and was one of their stronger hitters. Joey couldn't figure out why he was the first to bat. He struck out. The Patriot's pitcher, Leslie Hillman, was hot and on a roll. He made short work of the next two outs. The players switched places on the field.

The first Patriot batter took a walk to first. The second made a hit and the ball was dropped by the infielder. Two men on base and Barry Gilbert, a strong hitter was the next batter up. He didn't hit a homer, but the Kangaroos' infielder threw the ball to second instead of third, making the score 2 to 0. The fans were yelling and making noise. The players on the Patriot's team were slapping palms. Their next two batters walked and the third hit a line drive to make the score 5 to 0. The next Patriots' batter struck out.

The Williamsport team managed to stay ahead, although at one place it was only a one point lead. The final score was 9 to 7. Joey's hit brought the last two batters in to score. Killeen was out of the tournament and the Patriots would be playing against the Fredericksburg Billies on Monday evening. The home team was on their way to the second round.

The elated team gathered at the Pizza Palace, along with parents and other people who liked to be a part of any celebration. Joey was pleased that all of their "gang" was there to help celebrate.

After they ate, Joey and Forrest excused themselves to go home, shower and put on clothes suitable for their scout camping trip. They left for the campground before Dale and Craig arrived home.

* * * * *

Barry Gilbert was just parking his new Honda Prelude as Forrest and Joey arrived at the campground. He had planned to buy a better used car, but his Dad talked him into using some of his "reward money" from Erik Sharpe to purchase a new one that would last him through college. Barry spent about $300 on new clothes and designated some money for a computer. He would have to talk to Joey and Forrest about what to buy. The rest of the money was invested, but his parents allowed him to take a monthly interest payment for spending money. That was fine with Barry. He told his parents that he wanted them to use the small amount of his college money they had saved for his sister's education. Everyone was happy.

After discussion with his parents, Barry decided to drop his lawn care customers. He wanted to do something less physical this summer.

"Hi Guys," Barry greeted them. "All set for a great weekend? The weather is supposed to be perfect for several days."

"Yeah, and it was a great ballgame, too," Forrest said. He didn't want to talk about the weather. He was all charged up from the baseball victory.

"Do you have much to take to our tent?" Barry questioned.

"We each have a sleeping bag, air mattress, backpack and some other things, like a cooler," Joey said.

"Well, this is as close as we can park, but we can drive back to the tent and unload, then bring the car back here. It's about 3 blocks to the tents. You are welcome to put your stuff in my car and we can just make one trip," he said.

"Sounds fine to me," Joey said. Forrest unlocked the trunk of the Camero and they put their things in Barry's car."

"Nice wheels," Forrest said.

"Thanks, my Dad suggested that I buy a new car rather than a used one. I've bought some clothes and want to talk to you guys about buying a computer."

"Sure, just let us know when you want to go to the store and we'll be available," Joey told him.

"Aren't you still working there?" Barry questioned.

"Yeah, we work most Saturdays from about 11 o'clock to 5:30 in the evening; the store is open until 8 o'clock," Forrest replied, Joey agreeing.

By this time Barry's car was full but there was room for all of them inside since they were only going a short distance. They made short work of unloading the car and piling items where they would be handy after the tent was set up. The other boys in the patrol were just finishing staking their tent and tightening the ropes. They told Barry they would help with the tent he and the others were staying in. They were wishing for the extra hour of daylight that they would have on Sunday, the first day of CDT for the year.

All of the boys pitched in and had the second tent set up and ready to stake down when Barry arrived from putting his car in the lot. The men introduced themselves to each other and

Ronald Browning, who was expected to be the fourth guy in Barry's tent with Joey and Forrest, announced that he was going to stay in the other tent. For some reason Joey was glad to hear that. He and Forrest didn't know the other guys but were comfortable being around Barry. He knew that wasn't the purpose of scouting, but that's the way he felt this evening.

By this time it was fully dark outside, except for the glow of Coleman lanterns in most of the tents. It was a perfect evening with just a very light breeze. They made short work of putting a tarp down for a ground cover, setting up cots, inflating mattresses and getting ready for sleeping later on.

Barry said, "Hey, it's time to go to the evening council at the fire pit." Indeed it was almost 9:30 and as they started toward the river, they were joined by other scouts. Joey and Forrest were glad to see Jason Williamson, who introduced them to all of the boys in his patrol. Jason was very proud that he could call Joey and Forrest friends, but wished they had joined his Wolf Patrol.

Each of the Scoutmasters welcomed the young men, and asked the patrol leaders to introduce guests and new members. Barry stood and welcomed Joey and Forrest, which brought applause and whistles from the others. Of course, everyone knew who Joey and Forrest were and they were proud to be so recognized.

After the general announcements, the council was closed with everyone singing "We are climbing Jacob's Ladder" and "God Be with you 'til We Meet Again." Then a bugler played "Taps" before the young men set out for their tents.

Barry brought a chest containing ice and snacks that needed to be kept cold, as had Joey and Forrest. None of the three, although tired, were ready to go to bed. Barry got a Coke out of his chest and Forrest and Joey helped themselves to a Dr. Pepper and Ginger Ale from their chest. All of the men had brought plenty to eat, from fresh fruit, to trail mix, cookies and snack crackers with cheese in aerosol cans.

Barry softly said, "I'm glad that Ron's sleeping in the other tent although the other's may put him out when they discover that he belches, snores and farts – a lot – while he's asleep."

They all laughed, hoping the other guys in the second tent would sleep through it.

"Too bad we don't have any beer; that would really help me sleep," Barry declared.

"What, are you trying to get us kicked out before we get our membership straightened out?" Forrest wanted to know as he giggled.

Barry laughed. "Do your Dads' ever let you have beer to drink?"

"They aren't beer drinkers, but we are allowed to drink some wine from time to time," Joey proudly said. He wasn't about to reveal that sometimes they were allowed wine when they went to Tony D's. He was sure they could trust Barry not to talk, but there wasn't any reason to discuss it.

My Dad allows me to drink a beer once in a while, but it's always when my Mom isn't around. She'd probably nail his balls to the wall if she knew," Barry told them. "Dad just says, 'It's among us guys'," he added.

"I tasted some gin that Dad Craig was drinking once. I thought it was pretty nasty stuff. He said it was an 'acquired taste'," Joey said. Forrest agreed.

Barry opened a package of Tortilla Chips and a jar of salsa and cheese dip. Forrest opened a bag of trail mix and Joey had a bag of Fritos and a pint of French Onion dip. They put everything out where it could be reached by each of them.

"Hey, can I ask a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Sure, what do you want to know?" Joey asked.

"What's it like having two Dad's for parents?" Barry asked.

"As opposed to what?" Forrest immediately said. "I don't remember much about my parents. They were killed in a car wreck when I was about four years old. I was raised by my grandmother who died last Christmas. If Dale, Craig, and Joey hadn't let me stay with them and then adopting me, I don't know where I'd be today, but probably in Foster Care."

"Bummer. I'm sorry, I didn't know about your parents and I'd forgotten that your grandmother died." Barry was upset with himself that he'd asked the question without thinking about it.

Joey spoke up. "I don't remember much about my mother. She bailed out on Dad and me when I was about four years old. My Dad and I were best of friends and I never missed not having a mother. Then before he died, he made arrangements for Dale, who is really my half brother, and Craig to give me a home. They didn't know anything about me, but they certainly have opened all kinds of opportunities for me. I love them each, just like they were my real parents."

"I remember that I've heard both of you call each of them 'Dad'. I think it's kinda neat. They've been at several of your parties for our gang and they seem to be pretty cool dudes. I think you told me that they both are pretty young, so I guess it's kinda like having two older brothers, too."

"It's neat you think of them that way. I'm going to be fifteen, Forrest is seventeen, Dale is twenty-five and Craig is twenty-seven so they are only about ten years older than we are," Joey told them. "So, yeah, it's like having two older brothers who will answer questions and help us with problems we might have. They both have good jobs and the computer store business is growing beyond projected sales and profits."

"I know that Dale manages the Bar-W Ranch, but what does Craig do for a living?" Barry asked.

"He's in partnership with Don Albrecht, another architect. They have several big projects underway and I know they are talking about hiring another architect to take the pressure off getting plans drawn and approved, getting building permits and supervising construction projects," Forrest told him.

"Yeah, and the bonus for me was gaining grandparents along with two aunts from Craig's side of the family. I don't think the computer store would have ever opened without my grandpa taking early retirement and moving down here to run the business end of the company. We have a really good general manager, David Perkins. He's been a 'hands-on, take charge and do it type person'," Joey said.

"Then you two really aren't related to each other, right?" Barry wanted to know.

"Not really. Dale's my legal Dad and Craig is Forrest's legal Dad. You know that Dale and Craig got married, although that's not recognized in Texas; but they have the blessing of the church and that's what they wanted. I think that attending church is a big part of all our lives," Joey clarified

"Nothing exciting like you guys, that's for sure," Barry answered. "My Dad is Ben Gilbert and he's the manager of the Farm Supply Store. He's hoping to get promoted to area manager next year. My Mom is Susan Gilbert and is a nursing supervisor at Memorial Hospital. They knew each other in high school in Montrose, Colorado, but didn't date until after college when each found a job here in Williamsport. I have a younger sister, Courtney, who is in the eighth grade. I thought I was going to have to take my first two years of college at Western JuCo, but with the money Erik Sharpe gave me, I can go anywhere I want, but I'd like to say that I earned an excellent scholarship, too."

Forrest looked at his watch. "Do you guys realize it's a quarter past midnight? We've been sitting here solving the problems of the world when we're supposed to be eating, jacking-off and telling each other lies about how often we 'do it'." Everyone laughed at that statement.

"I agree, it was a big day for us to win the ball game this evening," Barry said. "I hope we can defeat

the Billies next Monday. That will just leave two more games for us to win to bring home the League trophy."

"I agree," Forrest said, "but I'm not going to worry about that tonight."

They put their food away and prepared for bed by stripping off their clothes down to their boxers, a t-shirt and socks. Forrest decided that his mattress was too solid, so let out a little of the air to make it softer. The discharge of leaking air sounded like a long fart and the boys all had a good laugh over that.

It didn't take long for the three men to get comfortable and go to sleep. The next thing they knew it was barely light outside and the bugler was blowing Reveille.

* * * * *

Joey, Forrest and Barry crawled out of their sleeping bags and each and pulled on yesterday's pair of Levis to wear to the Porta-Potties and the washbasins that had been set up. After peeing, brushing their teeth and washing their faces, they made their way back to the tent they shared and pulled on the shirts they had worn the previous evening. They could smell breakfast cooking at the chuck wagon where they had four men frying sausage, eggs and pancakes. They realized they were hungry.

As they rounded the corner to go to their tent, Jason and other members of his patrol were coming from the other direction. Jason had what appeared to be dried cum on his face, as did two of the others. Jason excitedly greeted Joey and Forrest, making sure they knew the other young men in his patrol. Joey was not sure if he should say anything to Jason or not, but realized he was missing an opportunity to help him out and perhaps give him a warning at the same time.

"Un... Jason, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Jason gave Joey a big grin. He loved to be noticed by the older boys in the troop. Joey continued. "Do you have dried cum in your hair and on your face and chest?"

He acted like it was a badge to wear with honor. "Sure do... and so do some of the others in my patrol," he proudly affirmed.

"Well, it's none of my business, but I need to warn you that everyone in camp can see it and it's not really a good thing. Even if you are doing things in the privacy of your tents, the Scout Masters and other boys can see it, too. It could get you into trouble a little later.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Just that if the other boys know what you are doing in your tents, they could force you to do things to them, like last night. They might not hesitate to hurt you if you don't do what they want, either. Some of these guys wouldn't turn down a blow job and then after it was over, to beat you up and yell derogatory things at you. Believe me, it's not a pretty sight and I don't think you want your parents to know what's going on. Keep your activities to a couple of other guys you can trust and keep a low profile," Joey said.

Jason thought about what Joey had told him and he trusted Joey to tell him the truth and was pleased he was looking after him. Joey was a cool dude as far as he was concerned. He just wished that Joey and Forrest had joined his Wolf patrol instead of Barry's Cougar patrol.

Jason and Joey exchanged hugs and Jason headed to the bathing facility while Joey met back up with Barry and Forrest to go to breakfast.

* * * * *

Editor's Notes:

Sorry that this has taken me so long to get posted, as it has been a tuff last 3 months. I wanted to make sure that this chapter also had a "Good bye" in it.

For those of you that do not already know, TulsaDriller "David D" passed away on December 7th. If you received and email notice of his passing, then you were in his Hotmail account. If not, please feel free to drop me an email at David's email account tulsaAuthor@hotmail.com this was David's old email address and I have taken it over for the story.

As for further news, yes I plan on continuing this story. I have been asked by many people to please try and continue it. I was David's Editor for many years and close friend. I also was invited to the Funeral by the family. I will be sending out mass updates in the near future as there are plans in the works to "Re-Post" the Tales from the Ranch. It will be re-posted on a new website that will also have a forum that will allow all the readers to discuss the story with each other. It will also be a place where we can all interact together and maybe get some questions answered as well!!!

I know that David would have loved to have said good bye to all his readers; so I am telling you for him. He treasured you all very much and you were all a very important part of his life.